For a majority of the 2018 season, the only Los Angeles Dodgers Opening Day starting pitcher that didn’t spend time on the disabled list was Alex Wood.
But that changed on Saturday when Wood was placed on the 10-day disabled list with left adductor tendinitis. Wood suffered the injury during his start Friday night against the Houston Astros as he went to warm up for the seventh inning but was forced to leave due to hamstring cramps.
The Dodgers currently have an excess of starting pitching, so they had the luxury of putting Wood on the disabled list to give him the rest needed to get 100 percent healthy.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts is happy that they have that privilege, as he believes some time off will benefit Wood for the remainder of the season, via Andy McCullough of the L.A. Times:
“I think that Alex is in a good space where this could benefit him, reset him a little bit,” Roberts said before Saturday’s game against Houston. “And allow him to finish strong the rest of the way.”
Wood leads the Dodgers in innings pitched with 123.1 across 22 starts, going 7-6 with a 3.58 ERA, 3.55 FIP and 1.17 WHIP while striking out 107 and walking 30.
The hamstring issue is something that he has been dealing with for a better part of the season, so some rest will certainly do him justice for a potential pennant race.
Ross Stripling is expected to come off the disabled list and take Wood’s spot in the starting rotation for the time being, beginning on Thursday against the Colorado Rockies.
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